1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooling apparatus using latent heat of vaporization that cools a heat-generating member by heat transfer with vaporization to a refrigerant.
2. Description of the Related Art
As one of the prior arts, a cooling apparatus using latent heat of vaporization has been described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 8-236669. As shown in FIG. 7, the cooling apparatus using latent heat of vaporization comprises a tubular refrigerant container 100 that stores a refrigerant therein and a heat radiating section 120 that cools the refrigerant vapor evaporated by receiving heat from a heat-generating member 110 attached to the surface of the refrigerant container 100, and the apparatus is used with the refrigerant container 100 in an almost upright position.
The refrigerant container 100 is equipped with a barrier 130 almost in the center in its sectional area and, thereby, is provided with a condensate path and a vapor path in order to promote circulation of the refrigerant to the condensate path, and the barrier 130 partitions the refrigerant container 100, so that the refrigerant vapor, in the vapor path, evaporated by receiving heat from the heat-generating member 110 is separated from the condensate that circulates in the condensate path after being cooled in the heat radiating section 120.
In the above-mentioned refrigerant container 100, however, heat conduction takes place through the barrier 130 and heat is transferred across the barrier 130, therefore, the refrigerant boils even in the condensate path through which the condensate circulates. As a result, the refrigerant vapor and the condensate that circulates from the heat radiating section 120 collide with each other, causing a malfunction of the refrigerant circulation and a problem that a sufficient improvement in performance of the cooling apparatus using latent heat of vaporization cannot be achieved.
The present invention has been developed with the above-mentioned circumstances taken into account and the objective is to provide a cooling apparatus using latent heat of vaporization that ensures excellent refrigerant circulation by the refrigerant vapor evaporated by receiving heat from the heat-generating member being separated from the condensate that circulates after being cooled in the heat radiating section and by preventing the heat transfer between the refrigerant vapor and the condensate in the refrigerant container.
The first aspect of the apparatus of the present invention
The cooling apparatus using latent heat of vaporization of the present invention comprises a refrigerant container, which stores a refrigerant therein and has an elongate tubular shape; wherein to the outer side surface of the refrigerant container a heat-generating member is attached; and wherein a heat radiating section, which is attached to the opposite outer side surface of the refrigerant container, cools the refrigerant vapor evaporated by receiving heat from the heat-generating member, and radiates heat. The apparatus is used with the outer side surface of the refrigerant container in an almost upright position; wherein the refrigerant container has a barrier that partitions the refrigerant container into two spaces which are a heat-generating member side path and a heat radiating section side path, so that the refrigerant vapor evaporated by receiving heat from the heat-generating member is separated from the condensate that circulates from the heat radiating section; and wherein the barrier has a heat insulating structure.
In this structure, as the heat transfer can almost be prevented by the barrier that has a heat insulating structure, it is possible to prevent the heat being transferred from the refrigerant vapor evaporated in the heat-generating member side path to the liquid refrigerant in the heat radiating section side path. As a result, it can be prevented that the condensate that circulates from the heat radiating section collides violently with the refrigerant vapor because the refrigerant in the heat radiating section side path is not evaporated, and an excellent refrigerant circulation can be ensured.
The second aspect of the apparatus of the present invention
In the cooling apparatus using latent heat of vaporization in the first aspect, the barrier includes a heat insulating space shut off from the internal space of the refrigerant container that stores the refrigerant. Due to this heat insulating space, a concrete heat insulating structure of the barrier can be realized.
The third aspect of the apparatus of the present invention
In the cooling apparatus using latent heat of vaporization in the second aspect, the heat insulating space provided in the barrier is maintained almost in a vacuum state. In this case, the heat transfer through the barrier can be considerably reduced because a good heat-insulating effect can be achieved.
The fourth aspect of the apparatus of the present invention
In the cooling apparatus using latent heat of vaporization in the second aspect, the heat insulating space provided in the barrier is communicated with the outside air. In this case, a heat insulating structure can be easily formed because it is not necessary to maintain the heat insulating space provided in the barrier in a hermetically sealed state.
The fifth aspect of the apparatus of the present invention
In the cooling apparatus using latent heat of vaporization of any one of the first through the fourth aspects, the refrigerant container has a multilayer structure in which plural plates are stacked, and an opening that forms a heat insulating space is provided in some plates.
In this structure, a heat insulating space can be formed, for example, by closing both the ends of the opening provided in a plate with neighboring plates. At this time, if the opening provided in a plate has a closed figure, a hermetically sealed heat insulating space can be formed and if the opening opens toward the exterior side of the plate, a heat insulating space communicated with outside air can be formed.
The sixth aspect of the apparatus of the present invention
In the cooling apparatus using latent heat of vaporization of any one of the first through the fifth aspects, two refrigerant containers that share one heat radiating section are provided.
In this case, it is possible to attach individual heat-generating members to each of two refrigerant containers for cooling by, for example, inserting and arranging a heat radiating section between the two refrigerant containers.
The seventh aspect of the apparatus of the present invention
A cooling apparatus boiling and condensing refrigerant, for cooling heat-generating member comprises: a refrigerant container, which stores refrigerant therein and a part of liquid refrigerant is boiled and vaporized by absorbing heat from the heat-generating member which attached on the first outer surface of refrigerant container, is disposed in an almost upright position, and a radiator, which is disposed onto the opposite outer surface of the refrigerant container, heat exchanges between refrigerant in the radiator and outside fluid passing through said radiator; wherein the refrigerant container has a first passage through which refrigerant vaporized by absorbing heat from the heat-generating member passes; and a second passage through which refrigerant cooled in the radiator and circulates from the radiator passes; and a partitioning member which partitions a part of refrigerant container into two spaces, which are the first passage and second passage; wherein the partitioning member has a heat insulating structure.
The present invention may be more fully understood from the description of the preferred embodiments of the invention set forth below, together with the accompanying drawings.